Democracy vs Communism

Part three of this comparison of democracy to other forms of government leads us to look at what happens when you push to the far left of the political spectrum – communism.

The original idea (known as Marxism, after Karl Marx) is based on the notion that the ruling elite facilitate inequality and class-based manipulation of others. Communism was to be a means to letting the average worker have equal say on policy and governance. What Marx wanted was a classless society.

The principle is not devoid of merit, though serious questions have to be asked about implementation and management. Communism runs against many aspects of human nature, and historically it has only been maintained through violent and oppressive means (take a look at the USSR, China and North Korea, for but a few examples). Ironically, there has tended to be a ruling party, whose authority goes unchallenged. Equal representation, whilst existing in principle, doesn’t exist in practice.

Communism can only really represent one ideology and doesn’t allow for dissenting viewpoints. It is decidedly inferior to Democracy in that respect.